New Jersey skydiving company says pilot tried emergency landing but plane went off runway into woods

MONROE TOWNSHIP N J AP The pilot of a skydiving gang encountered mechanical issues that prompted an urgency landing at a small New Jersey airport but could not get the plane stopped at the end of the runway the company commented in a comment Thursday Skydive Cross Keys commented the plane was at an altitude of about feet meters when the trouble arose Fifteen people were aboard the plane and as of Thursday afternoon three remained in critical condition at a New Jersey hospital and five others were listed as serious The single engine Cessna B radioed about having engine trouble after takeoff and crashed on landing around p m Wednesday at Cross Keys Airport about miles kilometers southeast of Philadelphia officers reported An initial review posted Thursday by the Federal Aviation Administration announced the aircraft with passengers and one crew member crashed while returning to the airport after a runway excursion into trees Monroe Township Police Chief John McBride noted he was among the first rescuers to arrive at the crash finding bulk of the casualties out of the plane and crawling on the ground Certain were still trying to remove their parachutes Fire crews had to cut down trees to get to the wreckage which McBride noted was comprehensively mangled just beyond repair It just looked like a big pile of metal Less-injured casualties were tending to more seriously hurt people Particular were screaming in pain and casualties were covered in jet fuel It was chaotic McBride explained at a Thursday news conference Officers are hollering for assistance trying to calm everyone down Cooper University Hospital spokesperson Wendy A Marano revealed all eight of the patients at the hospital in Camden suffered blunt force trauma including injuries to their extremities and soft tissue damage Township emergency administrators had revealed three casualties were taken to Inspira Diagnostic Center Mullica Hill but the hospital s spokesperson announced that while its urgency health responders treated casualties at the scene none were taken to Inspira facilities Only one of the people refused anatomical remedy McBride declared that when he reported the man he had a facial injury and needed care his response was It ll be something cool to tell the ladies later In its report Skydive Cross Keys declared three people were unhurt and none of the injuries is thought to be life-threatening It announced the plane was up-to-date on scheduled maintenance and had in recent months been inspected by the FAA The company described the unnamed pilot as experienced The plane did try to circle back and attempt a landing we are notified but was unsuccessful in that attempt Andrew Halter with Gloucester County Exigency Management commented during a news conference Wednesday night Just the fact that we have people that are still with us here in the current era specific with minor injuries I think is fantastic and remarkable he mentioned Halter announced the aircraft is owned and operated by ARNE Aviation out of Virginia and leased to Skydive Cross Keys A message seeking comment was left Thursday morning for ARNE Aviation Federal agencies are scrutinizing the crash